PORTLAND, MAINE

Friday—September 25, 2015

            When the approaching baby strollers got too close, the family of pigeons foraging about on the red brick sidewalk flapped and fluttered—then abruptly flew further down the city block, landing at a street lamp.  And while the two walking moms talked to one another as they pushed past the shops and restaurants on Exchange Street, the wheeled occupants mostly disregarded one another.

In wheeler number one—weighing in at a sleek eighteen pounds and wearing bib overalls—rode the girl with the golden hair: nine month old Grace MacKay.  Her stubby fingers tugged at a brilliant blue sky, while her young brain tried to resolve why her fingers were unable to grasp the tail of a puffy cloud.  In the adjacent stroller sat Grace’s frequent circuit partner: thirty pound Eli Chase—a year older than she.  A ball cap low on his big head—he was clumped forward in his hockey jersey, perfectly gratified watching a spider as it ventured across his shoe lace.

            A breeze blew in from the bay causing the colorful leaves on the trees planted along the edge of the sidewalk to dance and tumble.  Allanna MacKay checked down at her daughter.  Grace’s arms were fully spread, beckoning the foliage to bring their show closer.  The mother smiled and jostled the tips of her baby’s fingers.  Grace tossed her head at mommy and laughed.

            Bree Chase was enjoying the exchange.  She then glanced down at her unmoving pride and joy.  “I don’t believe Eli is yet into Fall and fresh air—I think he’s out.”  But even as she said it, Eli’s chin dropped a notch further below the front guard bar, his concentration firming now that the spider was scaling his sock.

            Walking awhile as they continued towards the waterfront, the ladies stopped in front of an old brick warehouse building—one that had been smartly renovated into a bright modern art gallery. For a few moments the women quietly browsed at the works displayed in the windows. Grace kept up her chatter with the objects around her.  Eli—having given up on his spider—had dozed off. 

            “Allanna?”  Bree said somewhat timidly.  “Ed and I...”  She looked away towards the street corner and traffic light.  “Well, we tried our best.  But, Lanna, it truly just doesn’t work anymore.”

            Allanna revolved away from the windows and turned her total attention to Bree.

            “Lanna, we were so sure that we’d turn out to be the exception.  It sounds pretty foolish, but we decided to try and get pregnant just to prove something to the world.  So convinced were we that there was nothing wrong with us.”  Bree blinked at Allanna.  “If you don’t mind my asking...have you and Tom—“

            Allanna’s eyes skipped down to her fingers which were poised atop the handle of her stroller.  With a fleeting smile, she blinked at her rings—her wedding band and her diamond.  “Goodness, it’s never been easy for us.”   She touched her daughter.

            “With us it was always too easy,” Bree said.  “Ed used to joke that the two of us were so fertile that he could probably get me pregnant simply with some sexy telephone talk.”  She smiled.  “Not that I regret it, but I was pregnant with Bessie two months after we were married.  And with Eli—gosh—we got him while I was taking birth control pills.”

Allanna glanced over at Eli—saw that the boy was asleep—and she smiled. “Well, your little guy does have a can-do attitude.”

            Bree looked down into her stroller, and she couldn’t help but to laugh at the sight of Eli snoozing, his mouth wide open.  “Oh, I hear you,” she said, with a laugh. 

Bree was quick to get serious again.  “But, Allanna—really, don’t  you find the whole thing worrisome? And, you know what frightens me the most?  It’s the idea that maybe all this is simply God’s punishment.  That it’s not the fault of some mystery bacteria or virus, that it’s not environmental—but rather God’s judgment. You take a good look at all the bad in this world and you might even wonder why it’s taken God this long.  The violent crimes, the broken relationships, the corruption and dishonesty, the hatred...”  Bree paused, and then she said, “Ed and I have started going to church again.”

            Allanna nodded.  “You frequently hear those ideas and that type of speculation now.”  She looked up for a moment at the sky.  “But, I have to tell you—it’s what both Tom and I have come to believe.” 

Then, Allanna continued.   “What I would like to believe is true is that all of this is of a temporary design.  And, that perhaps God is using this to teach us a bold lesson about the extraordinary value of all human life.”  She looked down fondly at her little girl.  “And I’d like to believe that maybe—just maybe if it’s God’s will that things eventually return to normal, that hopefully our world will be a more caring place.”

            Grace was making happy sounds. Allanna smiled at her.  “Imagine it, though.  What a more magnificent world this would be if we would all just open our eyes and appreciate what is the spiritual reality—that each of us is a special and unique gift from our creator God.”

            Allanna placed her fingers tenderly on her daughter’s shoulders.  “And, that is what I truly hope this is all about.”